


the only time i feel it is when i'm hurting.

by santiagox (orphan_account)



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betty Cooper Deserves Better, Betty Cooper Loves Jughead Jones, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Happy Ending, Holding Hands, Hurt/Comfort, Jughead Jones Loves Betty Cooper, M/M, Multi, No Idea, Not really a slow burn, Protective Jughead Jones, Rating: PG13, Slow Burn, Sorry Not Sorry, Southside Serpent Betty Cooper, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, good penny peabody, just trust me, really its like pg 16, stay with me, well kinda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:13:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24752179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/santiagox
Summary: au - betty runs away from her mother and family into the south side, a dangerous and forbidden place. But instead of the feeling of fear, she feels safe with Jughead, the boy she had a small past with but left them connected for life.or betty and jughead bond over bad parents, the idea of ruling one day, and both having feelings for each other.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper & Kevin Keller, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty/Kevin Keller
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	1. have faith that you can do it.

**Author's Note:**

> hi guys! join the ride, it's going to be a bit long, hopefully. updates weekly? maybe, no idea to be fair. enjoy!

In the playground of Riverdale Primary, a little girl sits in her seat, wiggling worrying about the other small humans throwing water and sand around the room. The teacher was tending to a little girl called Toni who had kicked a boy nicknamed Fangs for saying that kissing girls was gross. Elizabeth Cooper looked at her hands in her lap before looking around the room again. Her next-door neighbor called Archie and another boy called Reggie were having a fall blown water fight and Elizabeth was getting nervous. Her jumper, brand new, if she got it tiny bit muddy her mother would be angry. Now being four years old, and the fear of her overbearing mother, she started to cry. She was quiet and nobody paid attention, they were more interested as Archie and Reggie found the scissors and were having a sword fight. But a small boy with blue eyes and black hair that looked like his parents let him do what he wanted with it, saw the girl after he was trying to get away from the danger zone as he didn’t want to get into trouble as the teacher came inside holding hands with Toni. As he looked at her, her eyes looked at him, still filled with tears.

The boy didn’t know why he was here, he could have gone to get cookies with Toni, but he felt a pull towards her. He looked into her eyes and he saw happiness waiting to be given and he felt angry with the person that made her cry. He couldn’t explain it but even at four years old, he wanted her to protect her no matter what. So, Jughead Jones, bullied for his hair and staying out of group activities, slid his hand into her tightly pressed ones. She let him in watching him with wide eyes. Jughead still standing in front of her looking at their hands and watching her use her other hand to wipe her eyes.

“Hi, I’m Elizabeth, are you Forsyth?” She smiled slightly, feeling the pull, the pull that told her that this boy was going to look after her.

“It’s Jughead, actually! I got to choose a nickname because my name is boring, my daddy thinks I’m very smart, so he said it like someone got a jug of knowledge and poured into my head! So, I thought I can be called Jughead! Do you have a nickname Elizabeth?”

She shook her head, jumping off the seat, their hands still holding each other for support, for forever. “I want a nickname!”

“How about Betty? We already know a Beth and a Lizzie, so why not Betty, I think its super pretty!” Jughead looked at his new friend and watched her tears disappear completely as she told her friend Kevin who had come to see her, that her new name was Betty.

“Wow! That’s so cool!” Kevin smiled, “I like it so much!”

When Betty’s mother found out that Jughead Jones, the boy that was going to lead the Southside one day, was best friends with the Northside princess, Alice Cooper demanded that her daughter be moved to a new play center outside Riverdale, half an hour away in Westdale. Betty cried and held onto Jug and Kevin on her last day, and Jug told her that no matter what they would be best friends.

At the age of 11, Alice Cooper believed that it was right to tell her daughter what lies ahead for her in the future. A good house on Elm Street, good smart people beside her as she leads the good side of Riverdale. Betty Cooper didn’t want to lead the northside of Riverdale, the boring side, with plain gardens, simple but large houses and clothes that hides everything which should be seen even though children should be seen and not heard. It was all too much.

Betty started High School in Riverdale. She was happy that she could walk with her friend next door, finally to a school with people she’s grown up with up, well kind of. Archie had changed from the rebellious boy he was when he was a kid. Now he works with his Father at the weekends trying to keep the family business alive. He worked out over the summer, trying to get into the bulldogs, which Betty’s brother, Charles, or Chic, was already in him being a year older than her.

“Hey, Betts, you all good?” Archie asked her as she walked out of her house, not seeing the bleeding coming from her palms. He was a good friend, but he didn’t see what was right in front of him. They were meant to get married in the future, have kids, maybe one of them could be next to lead.

Pollyanna, Betty’s older sister was in Harvard, studying law, and claimed she was staying out of Riverdale going to Washington to work for high-end clients there. Chic wanted to leave as well to try out for the NFL or if that doesn’t work out go for the FBI which was his sister's dream, but now she had to stay home and go for mayor and run the town’s newspaper. Which she didn’t mind but being a real-life Nancy Drew was her real dream. Chic needed a backup plan to help his case in leaving Riverdale, so taking his sister’s secret she had told him in hope that he wouldn’t tell their mother, but changed it, to his. 

Betty nodded, smiling up at her best friend, who didn’t really care about her, but the power she came with. Anyway, she saw him and Veronica Lodge, the girl that moved here this summer from New York, making out near the window. She’s pretty certain they went further, but she closed her curtain before that could even happen. Betty didn’t really like Archie, she was just waiting for a good time to tell him this without damaging his ego.

It’s clear to understand Betty does remember Jughead. But only as Kevin's best friend. Being born on the border of the North and South he got to be friends with both sides, but it was clear he was closer with the South as they were the only people, apart from his dad and Betty, that respect the fact that he’s gay. Betty has only seen Jughead twice since the time she moved and he always stays quiet, leaning on a wall, watching Betty as if anything happened to her, he would take the damage, no matter what. It was scary but comforting.

She wanted Archie to ask about her morning because she wanted to tell someone the way her mother chose her outfit, a simple grey knee-length skirt with a pink sweater with boots which was the only part of her outfit she liked. Her hair was in a simple ponytail and she wanted nothing more to let it down and she would of if Chic were waiting for her to slip up so he could tell her Mother and Father about how much of a failure she was. And how she was told her makeup wasn’t pretty enough or the fact that she ate a little too much for breakfast. But Archie was talking about how his jog this morning was and how Vegas was begging to go with him.

As they arrived at school, Betty had already been multiple times for her brother and sister’s events which they had got many awards, but I mean they are royalty in this town. Betty was greeted well by the headteacher, wishing her a great term, and telling her that if she is anything like her family, she can see Yale in her future. She politely smiled and carried into the hallways which she’d dreamed of being in for years now. She was so lost in thought that she collided in a boy wearing a leather jacket, and to stop her falling he grabbed her waist.

“Betty?” The black-haired boy whisper to her. Nobody called her Betty but Kevin just saying someone special helped her chose it. Everyone loved the name Elizabeth even though her siblings got to chose theirs like Polly and Chic. But suddenly she could put a name to a face, this boy, this boy when she was only four gave her this nickname.

“Hey, Jughead.”


	2. it's okay to let go, but it needs to be soon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> betty and jughead finally come to terms with some feelings, kinda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have an amazing day <3

Her head was pounding but her heart was also. The last time she had seen this boy was when they were ten and chic locked her outside when her parents when away for the weekend. Kevin and his Dad saw her and took her back to their place where Jughead was waiting for Kevin explaining they had problems with another gang and needed his help, before seeing the skinny ten-year-old. Jughead was eleven and being this age, he thought he was the bee’s knees and want to talk to his lifelong crush, but Kevin was quick grabbing his jacket, kissing his best friend’s forehead. He told her that they would be quick, and all Jug could do was lift a hand in a greeting and betty was blushing as she lifted her and back and smiled. He was pretty. Super Pretty. So know to look at him five years later, the same leather around his shoulders he was wearing last time and that beanie that Kevin knitted him and even though Jughead looked badass it seemed he had a soft spot for his friends.

  
“Hey Angel, watch it okay, don’t want you getting hurt, right?” Before she can even nod, Kevin makes his way through the crowd and hugging her tightly. Betty giggles and hugs him tightly back and watches Jughead's expression at the scene. Archie was long gone, clearly to his new girlfriend, thinking that Betty was too wrapped up in her long-term best friend to not notice how Veronica Lodge and him sneak into the music room, or at least she thought it was the music room.

  
Kevin let her go and held her by the shoulders and sighed deeply. “Doll, your glowing, positively glowing!” Jughead leaned against a locker also looking her up and down, smiling at her as she pulls at the edge of her skirt down a bit and started to laugh a bit as Jughead took a sip out of his water bottle still looking her up. Kevin looked at both before letting his hands drop.

  
“I’m being your best man at your wedding, yes you both are clearly flirting with each other,” looking at the look on Jug’s face as he tried not to spit out his water and after he successful swallowed it. Kevin and Betty laughed loudly, getting looks from Northsiders who wondered why their leader was hanging around a homosexual and the enemy. Yes, they were all dicks.

  
“So after class, you are coming to a street race, I’ve already got Archie to tell your… _wonderful_ mother that he’s taking you out for the evening and you have to be back before 11 pm.” So, Archie was on her side, thank god. “He’s coming with us, just to make sure you safe, he’s a serpent now anyway.”

  
Betty looked at Kevin in shock as he led her down the hallway and Jughead nodded to Kevin and smiled at Betty that made her want to see that smile every day. Kevin laughed at her blush and told her she hasn’t seen anything yet.

It was a slightly colder August day left Betty wishing she had chosen something a bit warmer to wear, however, she knew that she didn’t have a choice on what she wore today. So, when Jughead, who wasn’t racing today saw her and pulled off his jacket and wrapped around her, she slipped into the big sleeves and smiled at him. He was leaning against the car, when Kevin’s boyfriend Fangs, who was racing saw her and hugged her.

  
“Wish me luck!” He whispered to her as if she knew the loud gang noise were going to give her a massive headache later. She smiled up at him, kissing him on the cheek and Fangs saluted at Jug before getting into the car which he was leaning against. Jughead offered Betty his hand and she took it as he led her so the side-lines letting go when a man that must have been Jughead’s father came into the road to explain the rules.

It was friendly, Kevin and Fangs against a boy called Sweet Pea and another called Roachroad. Betty watched as the man, called FP, shouted to keep the match clean when a little five-year-old ran onto the road, Betty worried about the small child but her eyes were gleaming as she held a red piece ribbon and giggled. Jughead smiled wider next to Betty and cheered loudly earning him a wave from the small child.

  
“Jellybean will do the honors of the send-off after much debate, but we all know she is the real leader of this gang,” Betty looked at the way Jughead looked at his family and he looked a mix of happiness and wanting to take Jellybean away, she couldn’t tell.

  
“Three! Two! One!” Jellybean shouted, pulling the ribbon down as her Father lifted her up away from the cars.

  
Jellybean pulls away from her dad and runs over to her brother excited to see the pretty girl who was wearing his jacket. Jughead doesn’t date. Jughead doesn’t let even her wear his jacket, so this is going to be fun.

  
“Hi! You must be the Princess! The White Princess, right?” Betty looked at Jughead who was making signs at her to be quiet. She looked at him before flipping her middle finger at him. She was sassy.

  
“I’m the Green Princess! People said that we wouldn’t be friends, because of the North and South thinging, but we will be. Right?” Jellybean held out her hand and Betty shook it smiling.

  
“Of course, Jellybean, I look forward to doing business with you.”

  
She was meant to be enemies with this girl. The North and South had their differences but really Betty didn’t want to be a leader, she was thinking of offering it to Josie, but she wouldn’t want it now after choosing to be a singer like her father. Betty was stuck until it hit her, she was wearing the jacket of the guy she was meant to be enemies with.   
She was quick to make up an excuse and left so quickly she didn’t even take off the jacket. When she got to the parking lot, she realized that Kevin was wrong, Archie hadn’t turned up. She didn’t need to think so hard of why he dropped his plans. She felt the wind getting colder and with a pat of the jacket which wasn’t hers, she found her phone and checked the time. She only had half an hour to get home and it was dark on the South Side. 

  
“Do not even think about it Elizabeth Annie Cooper, I’ll walk you home.” Jughead sighed patting his motorcycle as she turns around to face him. “Anyway, I was going to tell you tonight anyway.”

  
“Tell me what?”

“That I cannot stay away from you Cooper.”


	3. just another dressed up heartbreak.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty is finally ready to tell Jughead how she feels, but someone comes between that.
> 
> WARNING - a high trigger for abuse, please do not ready if you have been affected by this subject or just do not like it (:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> love all of you! <3

She wasn’t breathing probably she knew, but they had only known each other for one full day, and he felt it too. She wasn’t crazy. She wanted to keep his jacket because it smelt like him, smoke, and mint, and she wanted to ride his motorcycle even though she can see every way she can die on that thing. Betty wants to give everything to this boy because without him, she wouldn’t have her name. He was clearly worried about her quietness and wide eyes, but Betty couldn’t form words.

  
“Okay. Okay, fine, just take me home?” Betty didn’t mean to seem unfair, but no matter what it was too fast, but she couldn’t help but like it, but she didn’t want him knowing that. 

  
He smiled standing up straight, grabbing the other helmet on his side, he seemed to like the way Betty pushed him off, but below that, she knew she had hurt him, she just has to find the right time to tell him, not when she’s going to be late home. “Okay, Princess, come on.”

  
“Tell me that again in a few days' time, Juggie?” She whispered as she pulled on his helmet, but he didn’t respond, she knew she was quiet, so he didn’t hear. But she still didn’t repeat herself as she wrapped arms around his waist. Jughead wasn’t hiding his smirk.

After a few days of High School, Betty had settled into a routine. Archie picked her up, somehow being more in interested of her day and home life. It was clear he was upset at himself for missing the street race and he was fighting his demons not to tell Betty about Veronica Lodge who Betty was becoming fast friends with. When she got to school, Kevin and Jug would be waiting for her outside the parking lot, Jug leaning against his bike and Kevin and Fangs making out or fighting. It depended on the day and the mood. Jug would part with them on the way to Homeroom but would join Betty for Chemistry, English, and Geography. Kevin had all his lessons with Betty, clearly, he had spoken to someone to get them sorted into all the same classes. Then at the end of the day, with her new curfew at 11 pm, Betty would head to Pop’s with Archie, Ronnie, Kevin, and Jughead. Then Jughead would drop her at the top of Elm Street and they both fought the need to tell each other something about how they felt.

  
Betty spent most nights in her rooms, pretending to study, but really, she was thinking about Jughead. He had taken her home that night, walked her, as his bike was with his Father getting prepped for a motorcycle race on Friday, two days' time. She promised to be there, to well, be a great friend. His face dropped when he said that. Betty didn’t know what to feel. They hadn’t even known each other for 2 weeks but something made her want to keep coming back to this boy, always.

  
She didn’t know what to do. Ronnie and Archie had told her finally about their relationship which betty was over the moon for, while Betty’s cousin, Cheryl was angry explaining it was clear that Betty has had a crush on Archie since they where seven and that gave her the right to date Archie. Betty touched her cousin’s shoulder (but really, she had been a better sister than Polly had even been) and told it was okay.

  
“Ah, I see this is about that hobo, Jughead,” Jug was there and he gave Cheryl a meme-worthy confused look making Betty smile, trying not to get her cousin to see, but she did and got a sharp jab in the ribs before a Cheryl scream of delight, making Betty roll her eyes and smile.

  
Betty thought about Jughead. She remembers a time when in Pre-School when a boy, who she didn’t remember, but now she does, gave her his last cookie because Reggie took four when they were only allowed two. Jughead, who hates sharing his food gave his best friend a cookie because she knew that her Mommy didn’t feed her much because she wanted her to be pretty. Her Mommy was silly he told her because she was already super pretty.

  
That’s Betty knew. This wasn’t going to fast. They had known each other for years now, she liked him, and he liked her too. She didn’t want to lose him too, she learned that the hard way with Archie. She knew that she had to tell him, something at the least.

  
A loud bang on the door made Betty jump. Her eyes glanced towards the door, sitting up on her bed. Her Mother, Alison Cooper, was holding washing gave Betty the dirtiest look, as her youngest child had just asked her Mother for weed brownies. 

  
“Elizabeth, why aren’t you studying?” She dropped the washing and Betty pushed herself against the head of her bed. She had just hidden the bruises on her arms this week with long jumpers, but today was going to be different. Alice Cooper never hit her other kids, only Elizabeth, because Elizabeth was the one she loved the most. Wrong? Most clearly.

  
Alice, grabbing her arm, just where the bruises where healing, pulled Betty out of her bedroom and very carefully brought her to the stairs. She hadn’t done this before. The floor-length mirror was leaning against the wall opposite and her mother turned her to face it. The sixteen-year-old girl in the mirror had tears in her eyes and most clearly fear.

  
“No one wants you, Betty. No one will love you more than me. I would do anything for you. Look at yourself,” she grabbed her chin to force her to look across the hall at the mirror. “I will take care of you. These bruises I give you remind you of who rules your life and you had a good one, right? Good friends, a husband, a good husband ready to marry you and you’re a princess, Betty, your fucking princess, and princesses must be taught how to be good girls.” 

  
She was turned to face the stairs again. She knew what was coming. She couldn’t breathe as the grip on her chin became tighter and a hand wrapped around her curly blonde hair. Betty thought she was going to die. The stairs were steep and at the bottom were a lot of glass ornaments that’s could really hurt her. She wasn’t religious, but she was praying to God she would make it to see Jughead and Kevin on last time.

  
“You will thank me for this. Studying is important, if you don’t you can trip over the path of life.” Betty had no idea what her mother was on about, but it was clear that she wanted to make a reason for doing this. “Bad girls get punished, okay bitch.”

  
Her skinny hand let go of Betty’s hair and chin and pushed Betty down the stairs. Before everything went black, Betty thought about someone hearing and coming to save her. But alas, the person she wanted to be was on the other side of town, or she thought, anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have an amazing day, leave comments, and kudos for a cookie! <33


	4. your the best i'll sing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> betty is recovering and jughead is ready to save betty no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is super short but it is been super busy in the UK and it's my step father's birthday so I wanted to make sure everything was good for him.
> 
> have an amazing day!!

The slow beeping of the machine was the first thing Betty understood about her environment. A hand in hers, unlike her mother’s, who is usually at the hospital with her to make sure that no one thought that Alice Cooper was harming her daughter. 

The hand in hers was tight and she could hear the slow rock of the hospital chair. She wanted it to be Jughead, she wanted him to take her away, take this annoying, fucking breathing tube out and take her away.

“Juggie?” Betty heard a small voice said, it took her a few seconds to understand that was her voice and that the human beside her wasn’t Jughead, but someone just as good, Kevin Keller.

“Hey Beauty,” He sounded like he had been crying and as he stood up to look at her over the bed he looked as if he’d been crying. Kevin’s eyes, normally looking bright and excited, was puffy and worry was laced between his eyebrows. Betty had enough strength to place a tiny bit of pressure on his hand. His smile was now more natural.

Kevin told Betty she had been in surgery for her leg, which had taken most of the damage, and luckily, she would be able to walk again without the physical therapy. She was grateful and happy nothing serious had happened to her. Her mother was busy, stating about half an hour ago she had work to do, even though she had only been there for ten minutes. Betty didn’t care, she only wanted Jughead now.

Turns out it had been Jughead at Betty’s bed all this time. She had unconscious for three days and Jug only left with Alice to get cleaned up after Kevin said he wants some alone time with his little sister, (also turns out her siblings didn’t care about Betty being in the hospital and her Father was a joke of a father anyway). He’d been around her house at the time of the accident. He’d come back as she left her book, Beloved, on his bike. After he’d heard a massive crash and Betty’s scream, Jughead opened the door to 111 Elm Street. He saw Betty bleeding at the bottom of the stairs and looking at her mother, knew she’d pushed her, or at the very least could have saved her. He called 911 and that’s why she’s here. Alice said she was in shock and her siblings said they didn’t hear.

The book was on Betty’s side table under flowers from Ronnie and Archie. They had been worried about her and came to visit her yesterday. Veronica claimed that they were best friends as if wasn’t Betty, she wouldn’t have found Archie. She smiled as she picked at the petals that had fallen on the table thinking about how she now had a real sister that cared about her, unlike Polly, who had thrown all her clothes out of the window at the age of ten, because she was wearing a pink sweater that day and Polly had that color on that day. Polly stated that she didn’t like Betty anyway and didn’t care if she went in naked. After she left for Harvard, Betty felt a bit freer.

  
Kevin placed a kiss on her forehead and grabbed the nurse who did a quick run over with her claiming after tonight, she could go home. Betty had no idea what was home anymore, but she knew she had to tell Jughead she felt something.

Jughead came in a flat 15 minutes after Kevin’s text and when he saw Betty, he stood in the doorway as if she couldn’t believe she was okay. Kevin whispered some excuse about calling Fangs and left, patting Jughead on the back, he still stayed still though it all. The only time he moved is when Betty started to speak.

“Thank you-” Betty couldn’t get a single word out before he’d pulled her into a hug. He smelt like the mint and just him, and she found herself crying into his jacket as he kicked off his shoes and crawled into the bed with her. He let her cry herself out and after a while, when all the tears were gone, she looked up to him.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Betts? Really? She’s a bitch,” He knew what her mother did clearly. He looked at her with those big, blue eyes and she saw a little boy and girl with those eyes. She loved Jughead.

“I love you.”

“Huh?” Jughead looked down at her, in a state of awe and confusion.

“I love you, Jughead Jones. I loved you form the day you saved me from the sand and water.”

“Elizabeth Cooper, I loved you from the day I saw you raise your hand in Pre-K and told everyone that you were a princess. Because I knew you were the prettiest, smartest, and amazing princess ever.”

Betty looked at this boy, who no matter if he was Green Prince and she was the White Princess and she wanted him. Pollyanna or Charles could do this. She wanted Jughead, she needed Jughead and she would do anything. She knew what came next. Betty didn’t want to say it out loud, but her heart was screaming. She had been too interested in what his head was saying and it had led her to a hospital bed. 

She needed to leave. She wanted to be with Jughead and not her Mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment reviews and leave kudos, please!

**Author's Note:**

> kudos & comments help me give you people what you want! <3  
> your amazing, loved and outstanding :)
> 
> instagram - @furmexo


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